News

Majority of California State Legislature want to bring an end to project’s 16-year permitting process Sacramento, CA – Today, Poseidon Water announced overwhelming support from sixty-five California state legislators, including Assembly Speaker Anthony Rendon, Senate President pro Tem Kevin de Leon and Pro Tem – designee Toni Atkins, in support of the proposed Huntington Beach Desalination Project.

In letters signed by a majority of the Legislature and every member of the Orange County delegation, Assembly members and Senators from both sides of the aisle requested the Santa Ana Regional Water Quality Control Board and the California Coastal Commission provide the final approvals need for the project to start construction. The Huntington Beach projected started the permitting process in 2002. Last year, the project cleared a major hurdle with a unanimous vote from the State Lands Commission, including support from Lieutenant Governor Gavin Newsom and Controller Betty Yee.“We are grateful to have such broad, bipartisan support for this project” said Scott Maloni, Vice-President at Poseidon Water. “California needs to prepare for the effects of climate-change including severe drought. Orange County residents want to ensure they have water security in the future.” In a recent poll conducted by Tulchin Research on behalf of the William C. Velasquez Institute, 90 percent of California voters are in favor of water desalination and an overwhelming majority want to see the state approve more desalination plants. Research conducted by the Public Policy Institute of California (PPIC) also found similar results, with Californians overwhelmingly supporting desalination.In the letter, legislators wrote: “To protect our ocean and coastal environments, the Huntington Beach project will be the most technologically-advanced desalination facility in North American, and construction and operation of the plant will be 100% carbon neutral…It is imperative that California secure dependable sources of clean water now and into the future. Please approve this much-needed climate-resilient drinking water projects.”Once operational, the facility will produce over 50 million gallons of safe drinking water a day, enough for 400,000 people, and is set to create thousands of jobs for Orange County residents.

Poseidon Water specializes in developing and financing water infrastructure projects, primarily seawater desalination and water treatment plants in an environmentally sensitive manner. These projects are implemented through innovative public-private partnerships in which private enterprise assumes the developmental and financial risks. For more information on Poseidon Water and the Huntington Beach desalination facility, visit http://HBfreshwater.com.